


reaped benefits

by tenderwrites



Series: #tendouweek [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: #tendouweek, Aged-Up Character(s), Dogs, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Flowers, M/M, Morning Routines, Satori Is Good With Kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 07:13:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14711519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tenderwrites/pseuds/tenderwrites
Summary: #tendouweek day 6 - fashion/animalsFor mornings on weekends, Satori and Wakatoshi are usually seen running by the pier near their apartment, and this comes with a few benefits. It fulfills the exercise criteria that the national player has for his partner and the fresh sea air by the pier is always an added bonus when engaging in morning runs.They come across another benefit that is in the form of a young child and a creature of four legs, a wagging tail, as well as an overenthusiastic Satori who cannot wait to pet the dog.





	reaped benefits

**Author's Note:**

> As the saying goes, 'Celebrating the existence of Tendou Satori is never too late'. I live by that motto everyday, so here's day 6 of #tendouweek that just passed. 
> 
> Today is Satori's birthday and I feel so blessed to have him as my favorite. I relate to him so much, be it the bullying in elementary school, the changing of hairstyles, and an unfortunately low self-esteem, and this helps me in the fact that I can still come out stronger than I was before, despite the challenges faced along the way. 
> 
> I wish Satori a happy birthday filled with chocolate ice cream, Shounen Jump and cute actresses ❤️
> 
> Music for this fic: James Arthur - Say You Won't Let Go

#tendouweek day 6 - fashion/animals

Ragged breaths and puffs of warm air usually make up Satori and Wakatoshi’s Sunday morning routine, as they lace up their running shoes with yawns spilling out of Satori’s mouth and embark on their weekly exercise routine. Their usual running area is by the pier, and with good reason for that. The first time they stopped by the pier nearby their apartment, there was an ice cream vendor which sold a myriad of flavors to pick from, and Satori was absolutely delighted to find out that it was sold for cheap and the vendor that sold the snack was a motherly and kind old woman. 

They wave to the vendor, who gives them one of her dazzling smiles. 

“Stop by for ice cream later, Satori-kun!” She waves back in response, and Satori’s eyes twinkle like a child’s eyes do when given a new toy. He smiles even wider and puts more momentum into his steps, the notion of his favourite dessert imposing motivation on his mind. With him all fired up, Wakatoshi feels oddly euphoric, although there is no reason for doing so. As usual, he runs ahead of the redhead, as he has his own physical needs to attend to, but with Satori at the back supporting him like in their high school days, he feels emboldened and continues with this routine every weekend. 

He is a person that can anticipate change, yet appreciates the constants in life. 

They run a few rounds around the exterior of the pier and the nearby connecting park and soon, Satori’s stamina runs out and he urges Wakatoshi to continue without him. As both of their journeys in volleyball divide into two seemingly different paths, he takes care of the fact that Wakatoshi needs all of the training he can get, and gives his time to him selflessly. As he breathes in the fresh smell of the morning dew and the seaside, he feels at ease, as running often brings him the much needed energy he needs to start the day proper. 

He stops by the familiar twisted and gnarly old tree that has a few delicate shrubs growing underneath it, and with every week that he arrives to greet it, it has not yet been replaced. He thinks that keepsakes are meant to be cherished after all. 

His shoe bumps against something foreign and he looks down. It is a string of small flowers that has fallen from the shrubs, and they have a cheerful yellow tint to them. Wakatoshi picks it up gingerly and cradles it in the palm of his hand, intending to give it to Satori for his efforts. He recalls the day that he met the ex-middle blocker, where he was all-smiles and radiated the most out of everyone in the gym. 

Maybe giving Satori his favorite treat once in awhile wouldn’t hurt him too much. 

He slowly speed walks back to their original starting position and to his pleasant surprise, Wakatoshi finds Satori sitting on a park bench by the ships moored to the harbour, with a high-spirited dog having the time of its life being showered in pats and croons from the redhead. Sitting beside him is a young girl, no older than of elementary school age, and her face is lit up in a cacophony of excitement. 

“Tendou-san, you like chocolate ice cream  _ too _ ?” The girl beams, and she shuffles closer to Satori on the bench. In response, he is all smiles and does not stop his affections towards the girl’s dog. Not wanting to interrupt the conversation, he walks over to the friendly woman selling ice cream. 

“Ah, here to buy ice cream for Satori-kun, Wakatoshi-kun?” She chirps as she sets to work preparing a simple chocolate cone for the national player. The bright red and white umbrella above her head shields the both of them from the cascading leaves blown away by the soothing wind, but he looks towards Satori in a fleeting moment. There, by the harbour where seagulls flock and gather food, he is set against a backdrop of a blue lagoon where the sun is warm and leaves are falling. 

Wakatoshi thinks that Satori could not be any more beautiful than now, him sitting on the bench, speaking easily to a girl multiple years below his junior. 

“Thank you, Nomura-san.” He bows respectfully and jostles his pocket for coins to pay the vendor, but she merely hands over the ice cream, to signify no payment required. “I insist paying.” He says, but the old woman sits back down on her foldable chair and lets out a sigh. 

“Wakatoshi-kun, I’ve been doing this for many years now. I don't think money has any worth to me anymore.” She chuckles, inviting the brunette to stand beside her under the shade. The early morning has turned into that of an eventful one, and it is these small changes that Wakatoshi savors. 

“I suppose.” He nods, and watches as Satori tells the girl jokes and she belts out a string of laughter. He retrieves the small array of lemon yellow flowers from his hand and holds it with his fingers gently, careful not to break its stem or any of its blooms.

“...Wakatoshi-kun, you love him, don’t you?” The sudden question makes Wakatoshi almost drop the flower, but he keeps it together and despite the small red tint to his cheeks, he answers with a resounding ‘Yes.” The old woman grins once more, this time with teeth included, and pats him on the back. 

“Take care of him for me, will you? I won’t be coming back here anymore.” She arches her back to stretch and stands up from her chair, folds it and places it in her basket. She takes one last longing look at the redhead, whom Wakatoshi adores very much, before bidding goodbye to the national player and making her leave from the scenic park that the two of them frequent. He bows and takes it upon himself to convey the saddening message to Satori. 

Wakatoshi heads over to the pair and the girl suddenly jumps up from her seat, just to point sharply at the soon-to-be ace of Japan. With a new visitor, the Golden Retriever takes a short sniff at him, before it wags its tail and darts in and out of his legs repeatedly. He pats the dog briefly, before greeting the both of them. 

“Tendou-san, Tendou-san, look! Is he the Ushijima-san you told me about?” 

“That’s right, kiddo. Look at his muscles!” The redhead flexes comically and the girl bursts into laughter once again. Satori can’t help but break into another one of his sunshine smiles, and he hides it behind his hand embarrassedly. 

His smiles are so beautiful, Wakatoshi thinks. 

“Is he your husband?” She tugs at the national player’s shirt with a piqued interest, her eyes as bright as the rising sun. At the child’s innocent but mistakenly suggestive statement, Satori turns a shade of crimson and looks up at Wakatoshi, who has yellow flowers in his hand and the sun’s rays bathing him in an ethereal glow. 

“He’s just my boyfriend, ya doof. Now come along, let’s go find your mother.” Satori ruffles the girl’s already messy hair and beckons for Wakatoshi to follow, as he takes up the girl’s hand with a motherly air and starts to walk towards the direction of the pier. The shorter man’s back is a bit slouched and he has trouble keeping up with the child’s enthusiasm, but the brunette’s mind swims with multiple possibilities. 

Oh, what he would give to be by Satori’s side without hesitation. However, with his grueling occupation as a national volleyball player, he must allocate his time frugally and most of the time, he sacrifices Satori for the sake of his country. 

Amid tough volleyball trainings and the stress of representing his country, Wakatoshi never fails to continue loving Satori and all of his quirks and habits, and it shows in the way he goes through each practice with a fiery determination. 

As he oversees Satori reuniting child, mother and dog in which saliva is hanging out of its mouth, with an aura of sadness, he walks past the retreating familial trio and waves to them, but then he stops in front of the redhead and extends the hand which contains the small but powerful flowers to him. As Satori grasps the flowers in his hands, his eyes are red and there are tears pooling at the edges of them. Wakatoshi lets out a gasp, his mind racking through what possibility of wrongdoing he could have committed in front of his lover’s sight. 

“Satori?” He asks concerningly, but then there are a pair of arms around his neck and he understands. Everything is fine and he did good. The sea behind them reeks of newly caught fish and seaweed, but Satori’s eyes are damp and bliss is embedded in the creases of his face. 

“...’Toshi...about what she said--” His voice carries uncertainty with it, and Wakatoshi is eager to provide his say on the matter. “Will you...be someone more than just my boyfriend?” 

Wakatoshi presses a long-lasting kiss to Satori’s forehead which quietens him and further increases the speed of his racing heart. 

“I will.” 

The grip of the arms around his neck squeezes him, and he can hardly breathe, but everything is perfect, with the squawk of the seagulls in the far off distance and the sun’s welcoming warmth which envelops them on the pier. Satori whispers in his ear, afraid to let others hear, but Wakatoshi smiles and whispers a response back. 

“I love you.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
